Many people have already given thanks for this weekend’s Paris deal. This significant international agreement shows how countries can choose to work together for their own short and long term ends, and take action which we all know to be necessary.

Speaking after the deal to an assembled press conference, Amber Rudd was clear that in the end the thing which secured the deal was political will, and the politicians there who showed leadership and signed up to an agreement that was far from perfect, but still vital. Having said this, Amber clearly didn’t want to imply that the contribution of others wasn’t important, but she was right to point out that at the end of the day only politicians could close the deal.

An important treaty like this shows the value of that mysterious thing – political leadership. Often allusive, it’s sometimes hard to track down, but obvious when it shows itself. A lot of political leadership has been witnessed in Paris these last two weeks.

An example of such leadership in the run up to Paris was the work of Philip Hammond in the FCO, who travelled the globe stitching a deal together and who has started to build a dialogue with Republican climate sceptics. Let’s hope that he keeps this vital work up.

What we need now though is political leadership at home. The recent energy reset speech has helped steady some nerves but there remain more questions than answers about Government priorities. Ongoing concerns over energy efficiency, renewable and CCS programmes show that problems are wide ranging and the continued lack of a clear narrative causes many people to question which direction Government wants to take us in.

The Committee on Climate Change has shown that in the next decade we will need to take out twice as much carbon from our electricity system as we are set to do this decade, which is a long way from the “we’ve done enough position” some would have us believe.

Its fifth carbon budget, recently submitted to Parliament, suggests a continued growth of renewable energy in the 2020s. The CCC has seven scenarios about our path to decarbonisation. All involve a substantial increase in onshore and offshore wind generation. Their least cost pathway sets out a significant increase of wind energy between today and 2030.

In contrast to the CCC, in DECC’s own scenarios, updated alongside the recent “reset” speech, DECC proposed capping renewables at 2020 levels and instead seems to suggest we rely on additional interconnection to keep the lights on and cut carbon. Relying on the French, Dutch and Norwegians isn’t credible. And it’s not leadership.

Government now needs to make up its mind though. The Paris deal and the new Fifth Carbon Budget gives the UK a chance to set out a fresh plan and a clearer Conservative carbon narrative.

Former Energy Minister Greg Barker has written that ‘sceptic voices on the Tory backbenches are finally starting to recede into the rear view mirror of history’ and along with those sceptic views must be left behind the old arguments and false choices between growth and low carbon.

All of us want to know how Government will look to use markets to drive down costs and drive out carbon; how it wants to use better, leaner regulation to deliver innovation; and how it wants to broker private sector investment and expertise to minimise risks to the public sector and the public purse.

In the UK’s renewable industry Government has a partner willing to take on this role. We now see that with the Paris deal we know what some in Government have sometimes seemed unwilling to say - that it is committed to climate change action at home and abroad, today and tomorrow – cannot be doubted. We know that deeds will have to follow from this.